The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1887-03-05
STEWARDS MASCOT.


STEWARDS MASCOT.
The Story of the ola woman Who Used
to Sit at the Great Merchants Store.
A newspaper paragraph that I will
read % you has excited the ire of an
aged friend of mine. who has long been
a resident of Philadelphia, but formerly
resided in New York city. l have the
clipping about me somew here. Here it
is:
Il hear queer story of the supersti-
ton of a L. Stewart From the be-
ginning of his career as a New York
merchant until shortly before his death
he imagined that his fortune was bound
up in that of the little old apple woman
who had a stand in front of his store
When his chief store was down bv the
city hall this little old apple-woman
was encouraged and protected bv him,
and when he moved further up Broad
way to the big white building now oc-
cupied BY Denning. it is said that he
personally superintended the carving
OF the little apple woman's effects to a
new stand outside of il Here she stay
ed during all of its prosperity in these
new quarters. but shortly before his
death she disappeared. Stewart looked
upon her as a mascot and he often said.
so the story goes. that y hen she died or
left the place that his good luck would
go with her. Strange to say, it was
even SO. a few months after this Stew
art began to decline, and that apple wo-
man was hardly forgotten before he
was in his grave.
That is what started my friend talk
ing. "a very queer story. indeed" he
said '.and if rightly understand By
stander, he would ike to give his listen
ers the honest truth from one who was
here | think it was about the year
lo45 that | first saw the apple woman
who figures in the newspaper legend.
1t was when A I. Stewart was a pros
pering New York merchant and kept
store on Broadway. not far below
Chambers street, and opposite City Hall
park 1t was the great New York store,
and it was frigidly plain and unatfrac-
tive. By the side of the door, which
was not in the least spacious entrance,
sat the old apple woman of history. She
never kept an apple stand. but she sat
in = chair constructed of boards. back
ed up against the cold brick wall, and
by her side there was q basket, plai
and uHpretentious as the chair, and
filed with fruit. The old woms
at that far off time. nearly 7fs
age In appearance she W.
aud deerepit- Her clothiIz
cheapest description. brt
tidy as possible VIZ
of New York. and
Chambers street to
her morning and eFS
ell mucn attentions
sat at the egrcat-fseszszezazssuu.
partly because she was so worfsssz -
object of charity. | never saw her sell
an apple. | never saw the person who
witnessed any commercial transaction
in the fruit line in which she was con-
cerned. | never saw her basket when
it looked as if it had been reduced to
the extent of one apple. Her revenue
was not derived from the sale of her
stock. She did not sit there in all
weathers to sell apples Her age and
cleanly appearance commended her to
the liberality of the throng that passed
in and out of '.Stewart's-n His Gus
toners regarded her as a pensloner.
and there was daily generous deposit
of coins in her shriveied hand.
''One morning Stewards old apple
woman. as she had come to be called.
was missing. The wonder was is she
anu tu0f0 WIS I1uCH INQUIRY as
to what had become of her. The news
| papers undertook to respond TO the pub
lie demand and this was the result of
their Investigation: 1t was discovered
| that to sit at the entrance of the great
merchants store was very profits BILE
privileges; that BY reason of being thus
favored the old apple woman's annual
revenue amounted to a large sum. and
some evil-disposed person limited that
A. L. Stewart shared her income. Ii
| was cruel and preposterous lie, and
when it came to his ears she mad to 90.
The public never knew from whence
she came. nor whittier she went All
that was known WAS that the box chair
and its ancient occupant had disappear
ed. and the throng of people who pass
ed up and down Broadway sorrowed
| that they should see her placid face no
more forever.
THE general belief was that Mr..
| Stewart supplied the revenue of which
scandal had deprived her If he did
/ the demand upon his hberality was OF
brief duration. for she was very aged
when she first became a solicitor OF
/ aims This old woman did net enter
into his life at the beginning of his
/ career. and she had probably gone to
her happy home thirty years before he
laid down the burden of his life. He
never had any superstition concerning
/ her or anyone, and to associate her ca.
reer with his is simply idiotic rubbish.
If she stayed around the new place il
was in the spirit, for TO have presided
at an apple-stand when A. I. Stewart
died she would have been sure enough
centenarian, with several years to
spare. .n-fhilddeiphsa NearS.
Tbo agas of s,,r,i,sy oh ;sl-ans ~ 49,